Life and Times of the Sharp Family

Written by Colby. Tonight, we are thankful four our Dharia Lou. She continues to bring us daily joy, as shares her love for life with everyone she comes in contact with. Early today, I took the kids to a meeting I had for school. The meeting was at the house of my principal, and Dharia played so well with her son, a soon to be second grader. Her favorite part of the "meeting" was playing dress up. Dharia spent the afternoon hanging out at home with friends. She got to hang out with a young boy just a little bit younger than her, and she was a super friend. I feel so lucky to know Dharia. I can't help but love life a little more when I am around her. Lord, thank you for Dharia and all the awesomeness she brings to everything she does. 

Today is going to be the world's most shallow post.  You see, I have had the same shower caddy since we moved into our house almost five years ago.  It was one of those nickel-finished ones that goes over the shower head and then has suction cups to keep it anchored to the wall.  Well, for about the past year or so (not an exaggeration, I'm sorry to say), the suction cups have not kept it anchored to the wall, which resulted in the whole thing swinging precariously from the showerhead.  Every time you attempted to get it re-attached, it would just fall again, making shampoo bottles and bars of soap fly all over the place in the shower.  This was usually accompanied by shouts of frustration.  The whole apparatus was also covered in rust, contributing to the overall effect.  Taking a shower in the morning was becoming an exercise in irritation -- not a good way to start your day.  I am grateful that today I got to throw that piece of junk in the dumpster, for today I bought a bra

I was feeling pretty tired and run-down today.  When my Google calendar popped up with a reminder that I had a massage and adjustment scheduled at my chiropractor today, it couldn't have come at a better time.  I think what I might have needed more than anything was just a little peace and quiet.  But afterwards, my muscles and joints felt instantly refreshed and I walked out of the office feeling twenty pounds lighter.  I am so grateful that my insurance coverage includes the ability to see a chiropractor.  I really needed it today. Thank God for a massage! God, thank you for the ability to see a chiropractor.   I am grateful for the way I feel after an adjustment and a massage.  Thank you for the chance to take a little time for myself today. In your name I pray, Amen.

It's late, so this is going to be brief. We are just getting home from Cedar Point.  I had the opportunity to spend the entire day there with my two cousins, K and J who live in Kentucky.  Needless to say, I don't see either of them nearly as often as I'd like to, but have been fortunate enough to see them this week, as they are in Michigan visiting. K is quiet, beautiful, intelligent, and polite.  She is entering high school in the fall in an advanced, competitive program.  J, her little brother, will be in sixth grade and is energetic, fun, spontaneous, and eager.  I felt so blessed to be able to spend the whole day with these two amazing people! Thank God for K and J! Dear God, thank you for the chance to hang out with these two cool kids today.  Thank you for blessing me with such an incredible family.  In your name I pray, Amen.

Tonight I did a group bike ride with a bunch of cyclists at Team Active in Battle Creek, Michigan.  Normally, I'm pretty intimidated by other cyclists, mostly because I don't really know what I'm doing.  Basically my strategy is to just get on the bike and pedal my little heart out.  True cyclists know a lot more than that.  I went tonight because I figured it couldn't be anything but good for me, and it would be a good way to break up the monotony of these long bike rides.  I was right on both accounts.  It was good for me because I learned so much about my bike and how to ride it in the short 90 minutes of the ride.  I learned the best way to climb hills (should come in handy in Lake Placid) and what my optimum cadence should be.  It was good for me because I pushed myself.  By staying with the group, I found myself riding at a much faster pace, and it felt really good.  It wasn't too hard, but it felt great to be flying down the road on Quicksilver.  It broke

I made a pact with myself that I wouldn't shave my legs until after I had completed this week's training. Stupid, right? How is it that I fully realized how stupid this was, yet couldn't bring myself to actually shave my legs until after I finished my final swim today?  I guess I was thinking of it as a sort of reward for myself, but really I think it ended up being more of a punishment for Colby than anything else. As the week progressed, I started to feel more gross as I watched my leg hair grow.  In a twisted way, it gave me extra incentive for finishing the workouts.  You know, this week marked the absolute highest volume of training in my entire program, so it was a brutal, exhausting week physically and mentally getting everything in.  What would I have done if I hadn't finished my Century (Plus) bike ride on Friday, or completed my 21.2 mile run today, or decided the hour open water swim was just a little too much after a long run this afternoon?  Would my

The Jolly Green Junction is a fixture in Albion.  It's the place to go for plants, fresh veggies, and garden/home decor.  That's probably why I haven't been there a whole lot. Tonight marked my second trip to the Jolly Green Junction.  You see, I had some beautiful begonias planted in pots by my front door, but something had been digging them up and leaving them for dead in the middle of the night.  I would replant them in the morning after witnessing the carnage, but needless to say, my beautiful begonias were looking pretty rough after a few nights of this.  Flower stumps just don't have the same appeal as the blooming, lush, full variety. So, Colby suggested I go to the Jolly Green Junction and talk to someone about what to do.  Someone who actually knows what the heck they are talking about. Because, after all, if you know me in the least, you know that plants and I have a history .  Issues if you will.  Plants shiver in fear when they see me coming.  I try

Today, I biked 105 miles.  That's five miles over what's known as a "century" in the biking world. I never, EVER thought I would be able to ride my bike one hundred miles.  Even when I signed up initially for Lake Placid Ironman, I was skeptical as to how I was going to ride my bike the 112 miles of the course.  When I first bought Quicksilver (yes, I have named my bike...we spend a lot of time together, so get over it), I was daunted by a 20 mile ride, and felt a huge sense of accomplishment when I completed my first ride from Spring Arbor to Albion and back. Last year, training for the Steelhead Half-Ironman, I worked my way up to about 50 miles before completing the 56 mile course at the race. Today, in six hours I rode 105 miles.  Please don't do the math, as the pace is not stellar, but that's not the point. I did it. It was the most overwhelming workout of my program: six hours on the bike followed by a 25 minute run.  It had been looming lar

Today was Colby's 31st birthday. My dad bought him tickets to today's 1:05 Tigers' game against the Cardinals at Comerica Park. And because we're teachers, a 1:05 game on a Thursday doesn't phase us one bit. Just wanted to get that in there. We started the day by visitng the site of the old Tiger Stadium on the corner of Michigan and Trumbull. The stadium was torn down, but the flag that stood at center field remains, as does the dirt infield. You can walk onto the field, and Colby took this opportunity to film one of his book reviews.  He was pratically shaking with excitement, standing on the same field as virtually every past great player in the game did at one time or another. Within a block of the stadium site was a cute little bar called O'Blivion's, that we stopped at for lunch.  It was a really cool place with lots of spectacular Tiger Stadium memorabilia and an awesome tuna melt (which Colby was not nearly as excited about -- he opted fo

Colby and I got a chance to get away for a night tonight.  My dad offered to stay at home with the kids, and part of his plans included taking the kids to see one of our favorte bands, Act III, playing at the Cascades Falls. One of the best things about seeing Act III at family-friendly venues like the Falls and The Street Fair is that they invite the itty-bitties up on stage to lend a hand playing some percussion-like instruments.  They pull out spare tambourines, maracas, and yes, even a cowbell. AJ got a hold of the cowbell tonight, and even though we weren't there to see it, my dad sent us a picture of it that we got to see in our hotel room: Because I've got a fever, and the only prescription is more cowbell . Thank God for more cowbell! Dear Lord, thank you for giving my kids a chance to hang out with their grandpa tonight.  Thank you for the fun they had watching one of our favorite bands and for the opportunity to participate.  Thanks for letting me hear m

Today, Alaina and I attempted to play Candy Land and Connect Four with the children. It was the closest we have ever been to a successful game night. Unfortunately, AJ felt the need to turn into the destroyer. We'll still mark this one down as a success. Lord, thank you for giving us an opportunity tonight to spend quality time as a family "playing" games. Help us to always make time for this sort of fun. In your name I pray, Amen.

I sang this song at a wedding, once upon a time.  The bride loves The Wizard of Oz , and as her grandparents, mom, and the groom's parents were seated, I sang it while my aunt accompanied me on the piano.  I say this because otherwise I would probably never know the words completely, and these days I sing it at least once a day to either Dharia or AJ who call it "The Rainbow Song".  Both girls now also know the words and sometimes join in with me, but mostly they like it as a soothing bedtime/naptime lullaby. Today, AJ and I were sitting on the back porch as an incredible thunderstorm was rolling in.  I love thunderstorms, but Miss AJ wasn't so sure about the sudden darkness, booming thunder, and gusting wind.  She crawled up to my lap and I held her and rocked her  (which was just terrible, you know).  I started to hum a little bit, when she looked up and me and said, "Rainbow song, please."  I sang to her and I could feel her physically relax, like s

So, it's another Fathers' Day, and once again I can't quite figure out the punctuation on Fathers.  Is it a single father's day, as in my own father?  Is it a day for all fathers?  Or does it belong to no one and is a day in honor of all fathers, plural? My vote is for the second option, for the record. For my Fathers' Day post today, I want to re-live one moment that I remember from each of the fathers that were at the biggest humdinger of a Fathers' Day party today, mainly my aunt's house at the lake -- well, at least after all of the rain stopped. There's my dad.  My dad and I have had lots of fun, memorable times together, but the one that sticks out tonight is the time that he took me to a Red Wings playoff game when I was about 12 years-old.  For years, as we commuted from Spring Arbor to Lansing for gymnastics, we would listen to the Red Wings play on 760 WJR, learning all of the names, talents, and quirks of the Red Wings roster.  Then, my da

Love is patient. While I would never use patient as a word to describe myself, it does a phenomenal job of characterizing my husband. The man has been so patient with me, especially in regards to my training, which I could never fully make you understand with my words how much I appreciate. Not only does training take an incredible amount of time, which he patiently accommodates -- putting kids to bed, picking up kids from daycare, putting off his own work outs, but it is a near-constant mental-head game, in which he must continuously counsel me. Just last night, as I was having a breakdown about being able to finish the bike course in Lake Placid, he was unflaggingly supportive, though it would have been easy to roll his eyes and say/think, "Oh geez, not this again!" Today, after coming home from a long bike ride and feeling just miserable the entire time (which didn't help me mentally, by the way), he lovingly got me something to eat, and encouraged me to lay

Today, my family decided to take an impromptu trip to South Haven to play at the beach all day. It was awesome. The kids swam, built sand castles, threw rocks in the water, buried each other in sand, played with a beach ball, dug giant holes, spelled words in the sand, and brought home half the beach in their swimsuits and on their feet. Colby and I really didn't know what to expect in terms of the duration of our trip.  How long will a 2, 3, and 5 year-old be entertained at the beach? Turns out that for us, the answer is ALL DAY. The only thing that could lure them away in the late afternoon was the promise of ice cream. ...which we had to wait until Marshall to get for them because all three were out cold in a matter of 3 minutes after driving the van out of the Van Buren State Park. Thank God for our Lake Michigan trip! God, thank you for a fun, spontaneous trip to the beach today.  Thank you for all the fun and memories with my kids, who are amazing.  Thank you

A few minutes ago, the kids put Alaina to bed. She was exhausted. They took good care of her by: holding her hand on the way upstairs giving her kisses reading her books telling her stories singing her songs cuddling with her Lord, thank you for my loving kids. Thank you that they were able to show Alaina love tonight, that she shows them so well. In your name I pray, Amen.

So, first of all, can you tell Colby posted for me yesterday?  I passed out around 8 pm after a not-so-long day.  Just tired.  I think with reaching the peak hours of my training, I'm just going to have to accept the fact that I'm going to need some extra sleep, or you will continue to see 2 sentence posts dictated to my husband as my eyes roll back into my head. The bubbles yesterday were cool.  It was one of those serendipitous moments when I managed to change the course of an entire evening just by opening up a cupboard in the kitchen and seeing 3 brand-new, unopened bubble wands.  The kids were grumpy, but when they got sight of those bubble wands, the tables completely turned.  The girls giggled and chased bubbles for a solid hour, and even were able to work the bubble wands somewhat competently by the end. I love summer, because the posts become significantly more light.  Yesterday, bubbles.  Today, pool party! My friend Kim has a fantastic pool, at least so I'd

The best part of my day today was playing with bubbles in the yard with Dharia and AJ. I loved every second. Lord, thank you for bubbles. Thank you for giving me the opportunity to spend such quality time with my girls on such a beautiful summer night.

So, tonight I was looking up some nutrition information for the Ironman and was getting distracted.  A friend of mine sent me a really dumb thing, which normally makes me roll my eyes.  But, instead of rolling my eyes, I decided to play along.  Maybe being so tired lowered my defenses, I don't know.  Anyhoo, the game was to pick your Zombie Apocalypse team based on your birthday and the color of the shirt you are wearing -- both integral components of creating a good team, I'd say.  And in case of a true Zombie Apocalypse, I definitely wanted to be prepared well in advance.  Come on, you know you want to play!  Here you go!  And no fair changing your shirt to get your preferred fictional character. For the record, my team was Dr. Cal Lightman (who I just love), Ironman (how appropriate, don't you think?), and Jackie Chan.  Let it also be known that my zombie apocalypse team would destroy Colby's pathetic squad of Walter White, The Hulk, and Tom Brady.  Yeesh.

Today, as I was on my bike for 5 hours, I was buzzed by freakishly close by several cars, nearly thrown into the ditch by some sideview mirrors, even honked by and flipped off by a car coming at me from the opposite direction (I still cannot even fathom what that was all about--disgruntled students, maybe?).  I know, I know.  We cyclists and runners are an inconvenience to drivers.  I get it.  But, I also know that the law, the actual law, states that vehicles must give at least three feet clearance to runners and bikers.  For those who are visual learners, picture a meter stick taped to a cyclist or a runner.  That's how far you legally must get over.  That includes if a vehicle is coming from the opposite direction.  Yes, you may have to slow down or even come to a complete stop.  But, we thank you in advance for preventing us from becoming roadkill.  Truly, there is no honor in hitting a pedestrian.  I cannot believe the number of people who do not get over for me as I am r

Several years ago, my brother bought Breslin a guitar that played many of the most popular songs from the television show, Yo Gabba Gabba .  Thinking that it would be a toy with potential to be loud and obnoxious, Evan grinned deviously as he handed it over.  Little did he know that this little red guitar would proved to be one of the most popular toys that we own, even five years later.  AJ, especially, has enjoyed playing her favorite songs while singing and dancing.  I caught her at it a couple of times today.  The first video is "Don't Be Afraid" with a little bit of "Summertime" in there too, which I found incredibly appropriate.  If you listen carefully, you can hear Dharia singing in the background too.  My favorite is at the end when she brings the guitar up to Colby, tell him it's her guitar and then asks him, "Do you love it?" The second video is "Happy Thoughts", which I have found myself singing often.  Strangely enough,

Last day of school! Last day of school! Last day of school! What else needs to be said, really? Well, nothing, but you know I'm going to anyway.  So, here goes. It's been a long year, but a good one.  It was the first year I had a shoe fly across the lab while we were working on an experiment.  It was the first year I spoke at a conference.  It was the first year I spoke at graduation!  It was the first time I sang in front of the entire student body.  It was the first year I missed more than 2 days of school in a row.  It was the first year I tried standards-based grading. It was the first year I had two students tell me they wanted to become chemistry teachers.  It was the first year I trained for an Ironman during the school year.  It was the first year I went to Kindergarten round-up.  It was my first year as student council co-advisor.  It was the year I received tenure, and then found out that tenure doesn't exist any more. It was the first yea

Each night before bed Colby tells AJ to give me a certain number of kisses. Today it was two. Seven kisses later, AJ felt as thought she had given me the correct number of kisses. Today I'm thankful for all the extra kisses AJ gives me each night. Lord, thank you for my darling AJ and the way that she shows her love. In your name I pray, Amen.

Today Breslin graduated from pre-school.  There was a ceremony with 4 and 5 year-olds resplendent in miniature robes, tiny mortarboards,  and tassles.  They sang songs and had their names announced , walking one at a time across the stage to receive their diploma.  The kids going to kindergarten next year wore yellow to signify moving from pre-school to elementary school while the other kids wore blue to show, well...to show that they're not, I guess.  It was a little sad, but mostly hilarious and fun, especially after the pomp and circumstance of the "real" graduation I was at on Sunday. I guess what I am thankful for tonight is a chance to be with my wonderful kids and celebrate a milestone.  Of course, this wouldn't be possible without some phenomenal teachers who give of their own time and energy to put on such an event.  So, I'm very grateful for that as well. And, naturally, I'm thankful for the pictures that always seem to result from these sorts

A little while ago AJ got her finger stuck in my bike chain. She screamed and screamed and we could not get her finger out. It was a little scary, but we were finally able to wiggle her finger loose. She has had a sad and cuddly night, but we are happy to report that she is okay. It was heartbreaking, but adorable to see her big alligator tears slide down her face while she held up her pointer finger saying "owie!" and shoving it into our mouths to kiss as the night progressed. It could have been a lot worse, so tonight I'm grateful that all she needed was to be loved on a little bit. Thank God she's free from the chain! Lord, thank you for making AJ's scary moment not as bad as it could have been. Please help her to sleep soundly and heal her hurting finger.  In your name I pray, Amen.

*Note: When I got home from graduation yesterday, I felt like that part of the apple that comes out of the side of a Squeezo.  If you've never made homemade applesauce, you won't understand that analogy at all, but suffice it to say that it is sort of like your insides have been completely sucked out.  I was mentally and physically exhausted after a week of thinking and panicking about my speech.  I fell asleep almost instantly after dinner, and asked my husband to translate a quick verbal post about how thankful I was that I got through my graduation speech okay and didn't wreck graduation for the seniors.  I guess he took that to mean that he should post my entire speech...well...anyway.  I guess a thousand-plus heard it yesterday, so a few more reading it is no big deal, but I certainly didn't think that it was so wonderful that I needed to paste it all over the Internet.  Really, my goals for the speech were the same as my goals for the Ironman (49 days!): 1) Don&

Today, I represented the teachers at WHS by giving a comencement speech. Here it is:) Good afternoon, class of 2012 and congratulations on getting here, the day of your graduation from Western High School, a most extraordinary place. You had extraordinary teachers, if I do say so myself. And not at all normal. You have extraordinary community and parent support, which is not at all normal. My message for you today is simple. Please be abnormal. When I was thinking/panicking about what to say today, I asked myself what in the world I had enough wisdom and experience to talk to you about. Weirdness came to mind, and I consider myself somewhat expert in that. So I went with it. Because, I will be entirely honest with you right now. I don’t have the secret to living the Good Life. In fact, I have struggled my entire adult life with this very concept. But, I’ve learned that maybe instead of the Good Life, what we should be striving for should really be the “Weird in a Good Way Life.

Andy's Pizza on Ganson Street has been a fixture in our relationship for the past 14 or so years, not to mention a staple in the Jackson restaurant world.  The chili cheese fries are outstanding and the pizza is loaded with cheese and toppings on a thin, delightfully rich crust.  Colby and I would go to Andy's often on dates; so often, in fact, that he had the exact price (with tax) of a medium cheese pizza and two Diet Pepsis memorized.  Tonight, we went back again and reminisced on the evolution of our relationship and the more stand-out trips we made to Andy's, like after some especially significant baseball/basketball games or the night I found out I was a finalist in the Rose Queen Pageant. We followed up our pizza with a trip to Target, where we putzed around.  It wasn't a fancy date by any stretch of the imagination, but after riding 76+ miles today and then running 30 minutes, I wasn't feeling too up for fancy anyway.  It was nice to spend time together

I'm not sure why, really, but I've been digging the music on the radio lately.  I'm not usually a huge fan of whatever is on the top-40 stations, but the past month of so has found me tuning into and turning up songs like "Call Me, Maybe", "What Makes You Beautiful", and "Tonight".  My little AJ has turned into quite the pop princess.  Not only does she love boppin' to the music coming out of the radio with a huge smile on her face, it became apparent this morning that she has also memorized many of the lyrics.   I was hum-singing "Call Me, Maybe" as we were going into daycare, and when I would pause for a second, she would fill in the next words. For example: Me: "Hey, I just met you...and this is..." AJ: "Crazy!" Me: "But here's my number" AJ: "Call me, maybe!" After some experimentation, it appears as though she can sing the lyrics with Taylor Swift, Adele, and Usher as we